The Heart of True Worship | Spirit and Truth | Abundant Life Church | Pastor Everson Soares
The Heart of True Worship | Spirit and Truth | Abundant Life Church | Pastor Everson Soares
Transcript
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Hey, everyone. Pastor Sean here, and I wanna thank you for subscribing to our podcast. I'm excited to get into today's message. And remember this, God is a good God. He loves you, and he wants to bless you.
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God put this message in my heart, and he said, go. I have a message for you to deliver my people. And here I am today. It's on the gospel of John chapter four.
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I love this story. It's one of my favorite stories in the Bible. It's about the woman at the well.
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And I love the gospel, you know, because the gospel is a narrative.
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Yeah. It is the story of people encountering God.
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Jesus came as, you know, down to be with us. And that's what the gospel is all about.
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And on chapter four verse four it starts with something that caught my attention.
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It says because Jesus must go through Samaria.
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Jesus was in Judea and He was going all the way to Galilee you know and He could take out alternative routes to go there but He must the Bible say go through Samaria Why Jesus have to go through a land that the Pharisees will never step their foot on because it was considered to be a land that was cursed?
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You know? And why did Jesus have to take that route?
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And sometimes, you know, what happened is seven hundred and twenty years before Christ. Say before Christ. Before Christ.
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Know, the Assyrian arm, they came to the region of Samaria and they camped there and they take that territory and when they left they take all the people that were there all the people that were rich and know how to build they would take with them and leave the poor people and they give leave some garrisons you know of of military garrisons and that is you can read that at home in second Kings chapter 17 what happened and and they stay in the land they open 10 colonies and from then those 10 colonies you know, after years, the people from from the Jewish people from that land started getting married with the people that were not from the land and and they become half brothers of the Jews and because of that, the Jews despise them because of everything that is going on. Alright? Everything that happened.
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I have to stop a minute and say, hey, encounter is coming. Alright? We have pastor here. We have encounter August 22.
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Let me tell you something.
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Encounter changed my life. About three and a half years ago.
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And I was a man. I was a pastor, a missionary, and I thought, how can I already have many encounters with God? And when I came here that day, God touched me. He spoke to me. He renew my strength.
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And I have a new encounter with God. So we only have 50 spots available. If you were interesting, there is an information spot. Don't come to me later and say there was no spots available anymore because if you're late, you're gonna miss it what God is want to do in your life. So mark in your calendar, August 22 encounter, the day that you have an encounter with God. Moses have an encounter with God.
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He he kills a soldier. He hide the body, and he run away. You know, you you said, God will never have an encounter with men like that, but God have an encounter with Moses.
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You know, it didn't matter. It doesn't matter what you did or what you have done. What matters is God God wanna do in your life.
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So mark in your calendar, August 22, we have an encounter. August 23, we have water baptism in the house. You know, some people are gonna, you know, be birthed again to Christ, and we will celebrate together.
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Alright. So so Jesus was going to the land of Samaria. Back to my message.
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Jesus is going to the land of Samaria and the disciples I believe they were not happy about it because you know you know we can see they would consider them unclean just by stepping in that land.
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But Jesus have a purpose.
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So Jesus, he went out of his way to go to Samaria, dry land because he have an encounter with a woman.
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And the disciples they were not very happy.
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And this woman was on the verge of destruction.
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Judge by everyone that knew her.
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She was carrying so much pain, so much emotional wounds.
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She was outcast. She had no friends because she would go by herself to the the well every day.
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And it was necessary for Jesus to go and meet her.
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She was dried up empty spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
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She was not living but just existing.
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And Jesus had to go there to have an encounter.
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That's what and the first thing I wanna tell you this morning is Jesus wanna have an encounter with you. He loves you. And before you leave your house today to come to this house, Jesus was already here just like he was at the well waiting for that woman to say that she matters to him.
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That she and he have he wanted to have an encounter with her.
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He wanted to change her life, and he want to change her story.
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And that's a beautiful story and here we learn something important that Jesus goes a different route just to connected with you just to have an encounter with you Verse five says, so they came to the city of Samaria called Sicar near the city that was the Well Of Jacob. So when they came to to there, they saw the Well Of Jacob. And the 12 disciples that were not happy about going through Samaria, they saw something they never saw before.
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Their eyes start glowing because they are seeing now the Well Of Jacob.
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Let me tell you about the Well Of Jacob. When Jacob was leaving from his father in law's house to come to meet with his brother.
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He stopped by there.
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And there was no water to give to to to to the animals for them to drink.
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The hour about to die and Jacob went to sleep and at his leap he saw the angel of the Lord with a message that says stop complaining get a shovel and start working and you know and that's what he did he wake up and he grab a shovel and he start shoveling people are like what you doing? I know God told me that and then he started going 10 feet 20 feet 50 feet 70 feet 100 feet down he found a water of spring water you know not just a water but a spring water that was coming up from the floor drinkable clear water and and the disciples of Jesus they always hear about the story they hear their parents when they were little kids they went to school and hear the teacher teach but at this point they get to see the well where the the the the their inheritance survived because of it and they were their eyes start to glow and they were they were there and then let me tell you when you follow Jesus you get to see things you you don't get to see if you don't follow him. And that's so good to follow Jesus because you know sometimes Jesus will take God will take into a way and you're like, what I'm doing here? What's going on? And you don't know. But God is gonna show you something that he never saw you before. And that's a message right by itself.
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That Jesus, if if you follow him, you will see his glory. Amen.
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And I love it because Jesus Bible said that Jesus was tired.
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And let me tell you something. We always get tired. Right? One way or another. We are tired emotionally, physically, spiritually.
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And Jesus was tired, and I love that because Jesus is acquainted to our sorrows everything we go through Jesus goes through and and we we live we serve a God that is part God and part man and He knows the troubles you're going through in your life and and you know he got thirsty and as you see hungry he went to the temple and they see people doing business on the temple and he gets upset he start turning tables around because that's who Jesus is. So he knows everything you're going through, he been through, and he knows what you're going through.
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So Jesus sat by the well waiting for the arrival of the woman that he will change her life.
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Just like, you know, he was just on a divine appointment with that woman and the woman didn't know.
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You know that when you when you came today, Jesus was in a divine appointment with you.
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Tell the person next to you, Jesus was in a divine appointment with you.
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He was long to meeting with you.
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And he knows just like he knows everything about that woman. He knows every single thing about you.
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Things about you that your husband don't know, that your wife don't know, that your neighbor don't know, that that your best friend don't know. Jesus know everything about you. And and he's not here to accuse you, but to love you and to give you hope, to give you a future, to bless you. And that's what Jesus will do.
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And Jesus sat by the well.
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He sent the 12 apostles to get food.
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You know? And you may ask why he sent 12 men to get food? Why not sending that to a tree?
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Because he want to be alone with the woman.
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That woman, she went to five divorces.
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At that time, according to the law, for the man to be divorced, he have to go to a public place and shouted three times I divorce you I divorce you and I divorce you and that woman didn't went through that once but five times so she have social anxiety which is no fear to be in public see in public because of everything she went through. And that's why Jesus have to send out the 12 apostles because if two three or five of them stay there she wouldn't stop to get the water.
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So so then Jesus wait there for her she probably asked the disciples and say hey give me some water and they were not prepared they don't have a whole rope they didn't have a water pot so he send that all of them to the city go to the city get some food so why are they going to the city they passed by this Samaritan woman a woman like you know her story because you'll read it so many times you know they were unprepared but she was prepared she have a rope in her belt and she have a water pot in her hand and let me tell you she was going and they were going to the city and she's coming and that was at the sixth hour You know the sixth hour in our time is about noon.
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Now let me ask you a question. Who would go on a dry place hotter than Florida on a hot day to get water at noon nobody but that woman you know I've been to many places where people would go and fetch water and they would go at sunrise and at sunrise you know there was one time that I went to the well to preach because there was so many people and when they are there they are talking because on places like that there is no newspaper so the news when they go to the well and sunrise, they will get to know the news. So it's a lot of talking. A lot of talking. A lot of talking. Just like one time I went to Haiti as a missionary and and and I can see this noise from far away. And I say to the pastor what's going on? Why every morning there is this noise? He said come I'll show you. So after I walk for about a mile and as I was walking through the noise will become louder and louder. You know and I see a river and the woman was washing clothes at the river and they were talking to one another it looks like a fight but they were talking.
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They were talking they were knowing the news and that was amazing to me because I never saw that before.
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So they would go a sunrise or sunset to get the water because that was the fresh part of the day.
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But then that woman, she would go at noon because she would want to she don't want to see nobody and they don't want to just socialize with anybody.
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So she would go at noon to fetch water.
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You know but when she got there that day said that day oh there was somebody waiting for her and look and she didn't even know him you know how many times in the gospel we see people have an encounter with God that when they have the they don't even know who that person was and that is what happened to that woman she encountering Jesus you know and and and and but you know usually she probably go to the well and throw some rocks around take a zip of the water you know have a laugh read a book perhaps but not that day man she was business only when she saw Jesus at the well she grabbed her water pot grab her rope out of the belt that the disciples didn't have to to turn to you to give water to Jesus and she dropped the water from the well and when she brought that water up she was ready to go put the rope in her belt back, almost put into the pot back to go. And Jesus said with a tender voice, give me water.
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And God is so amazing because He always ask us for something. And He always ask for something that we can give it to Him.
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Like our hearts, like our lives. And when you give it to her, He will transform.
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And that woman say on verse
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she say, how you, a Jewish man will ask me a Samaritan woman for water?
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And Jesus said,
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if you know who are asking you for water, you would ask me for water.
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If you know the gift of God, you will ask me for water and I'll give you water.
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You know, and and the bible said that they have no dealings because of everything that is going on between Samaritans and Jews. She was very rude with Jesus at that start.
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But Jesus said, with a tender voice again, if you know the gift of God. What's the gift of God? Salvation.
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He's offering something to her beyond words, beyond imagination.
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Things that the disciples didn't know about it. That's what he was offering to that woman.
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And and and she said to him on verse 11, sir, now look, she was rude at first. Now because of its tenders, she started to be nice to him. Sir, Lord, you have nothing to draw.
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And the well is deep.
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Where then you can get this living water?
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You know, and I like this subject because God start Jesus, God start talking about water. And we are all thirsty for something in our lives. Every single one of you, the person next to you are thirsty for something.
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Some some of us are thirsty for power. Some of us are thirsty for money.
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Somebody some of our some some of us are thirsty for likes in our stories and in Instagram right some of us are thirsty for followers you know if you have a thousand followers you want the 2,000 if you have a million you want the next you want the two millions you're thirsty for some of you are thirsty for attention some of you are thirsty for religion some of you are thirsty for romance some of you you are thirsty for sex for drinking for drugs we out thirsty for something And for some of the things, it's not a sin to be thirsty for, but the issue is where you go for your fix.
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You know?
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Because if you drink this water tomorrow as a as a man, as a woman, you'll be thirsty again tomorrow. You need to go get more.
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If you need for one of the things I just said tomorrow, you'll be thirst again because that will never quench the thirst of your soul the emptiness emptiness of your life but the living water of Jesus is capable to give you everything you want and so much more. So Jesus was offering that woman living water and Jesus answered verse 13 everyone who drink this water will be thirsty again but whatever drinks the water that I give them will never thirsty indeed. The water I give you will become and then I spring water well into eternity.
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And that's the water Jesus was offering that woman what a subject water you know because you know 71 of the earth is covered on water but most of it is salt water only three and a half percent of the water is drinkable water in earth's today you know you can stay three weeks with a normal person can stay three weeks without food but you cannot stay three days without water because it's essential for our body and for our lives so water is something very important but you know so Jesus used the water to get the attention for the woman and when she was hearing that she said hey give me some of that water so I don't have to come to this well again and fetch water anymore.
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But she was understanding everything that Jesus say.
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And at that moment, Jesus say okay I'll give you the water but go get your husband first.
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Oh man.
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She probably bow her head and say what?
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Why you go there thinking on her mind my husband.
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But then she say I I could say to him, I'll go and take my water get out of here and never come back again.
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But he's offering me something that I was never offering before.
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And maybe this my last opportunity.
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I will take it.
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But she have to be true. So she say, have no husband.
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And Jesus say, well, you have say well.
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Yeah. I have no husband for you have five husbands and the one who you have now it's not your husband in that you spoke truly.
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That moment she find out there was something special about that man That he was trying to give her something she never received before.
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And God is here to give you something you never had received before.
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Things that you cannot find in the flesh desires.
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Things that you cannot find in drinking and alcohol and in drugs.
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You know, and that is the living water of Jesus Christ have to offer.
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And she say
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to him, she changed the subject. She say, hey, I don't like where this conversation's going. So she's like, you a prophet?
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You know, and how many times?
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And I like because the more you have a relationship with God and the more you start to know God. First she was rude to Him. Then she called Him sir and Lord.
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Then after that she called Him a prophet. Then later on she called Him a Messiah.
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Then you walk with God the more you the more you have a relationship with God the more you will know God so you have to keep coming for more tell person next to you keep coming for more because God have a living water for you so she's like are you a prophet I perceive that you're a prophet verse 20 our fathers worship on this mountain and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is where one ought to worship.
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And Jesus said to her, woman, believe me that the hour is coming when you will neither worship in the mount nor in Jerusalem worship the Father.
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You will worship what you do not know.
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Keep that word. You worship what you do not know.
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We know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews.
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But the hour is coming and now is when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.
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For the Father is seeking such a worship Him.
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God is a spirit and those who worship him just worship in his spirit and in truth. You know, and then from water, Jesus just start talking about the worship.
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And what is worship?
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You know, and he said to the woman, you worship what you do not know.
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Could it be that somebody walking here today and know don't know what worship is?
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Some people may think our worship is our service from ten to twelve.
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But it's more than that. You know, worship comes from the inside.
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Worship is the demonstration of how valuable God is to you.
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Worship is a public declaration of what God means to you.
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Worship that doesn't come from the heart is not worship.
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It's not like you know you can be lifting your hand and you can be lie down on the floor and everybody could see you and say he's worshiping.
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But only God knows who is worshiping or not. Because when God looks, he doesn't look to your lips moving.
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He doesn't look to your hands up. He looks where your heart is.
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And that's true and we need to learn because when we come together, we need to worship God like God is worthy to be worshiped. And
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the first time the word worship comes is on Genesis twenty two five.
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First time in the Bible where the worship word appears.
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It's not in the service but it's always when Isaac you know Abraham go sacrifice Isaac God asked him give me your son your only son is sacrificed.
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So Abraham get up, took his son and the word says and Abraham said to this young man, when they get to a point, stay here with the donkey.
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The led means the boy and I will go yonder in worship and we will come back to you.
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And we will come back to you.
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You know, he knows that he was going to sacrifice his son. Why didn't he say and I will come back to you because my son would not be here. But he trust the Lord so much.
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His faith was so great that he had to say, you know, that we will come back even if he's offered the son in sacrifice.
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He knows that God is powerful enough to bring his son back to life. And that's worship.
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That's what worship is. Number one, worship is when you trust in God.
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That's a true worship. You have to trust in God for your today, for your tomorrow.
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Because if you trust God, you are worshiping God.
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Remember that.
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Trust.
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If you don't trust, you cannot worship. But if you trust, that's a worship to God.
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Number two, when they were walking, the son take turned to him and say, hey, I see the fire. I see the wood, but I do not see the lamb.
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Dad, he didn't know what's about to happen. Right? But God say Abraham said, God will provide for himself a sacrifice.
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You know, God will provide. That means when you believe God will provide everything you need you are worshiping God you need to trust God for your provision every day and when you do it you are worshiping God so it's not just a ten to 12 service that you presented to God but it's a everyday thing when you leave out of these doors you are worshiping God with your trust you are all worshiping God with your provision with with the provision that we will provide for you number third they got to the place Abraham start building the altar for the sacrifice what is the building the altar the third thing you need to do when you can't worship you need to prepare your heart prepare your heart said to the person next to you prepare your heart Jesus say in Matthew fifteen eight these people draw near me with their mouth and honor me with their lips but their heart is far from me in vain they worship me Isaiah twenty nine thirteen therefore the Lord say in as much as these people draw near me with their mouths and honor me with their lips but have removed their heart far from me so your worship have to be with your heart number four
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he prepared the altar. He laid the wood and he was about to sacrifice his only son and he when he lift the knife to sacrifice God say stop it right there but God wants one thing from him his commitment to God without commitment to God there is no worship you have to commit yourself to God commit yourself with your character commit yourself with love for one another commit yourself to your family commit yourself to your church commit yourself to God because that's what God wants he wants worship that come from not from outside but from inside out
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the altar represents your heart the essence of your worship is your commitment to God the essence of your worship is your loyalty to God a true worshiper is someone that that believes to please God And that's what Jesus was trying to say to that woman. And let me tell you something. Jesus says so much to that woman in twenty minutes that He said to the whole, you know, all the disciples in three years. Because it was fast and she needs to receive all of that and she received all of that
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and today God wants to taking care of your heart.
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He wants you to to to take care of your heart so you can give a true worship that God's deserve because he don't take leftovers.
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He wants your pure your worship that comes from your heart.
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And then woman said to him, I know that the Messiah is coming who is called Christ.
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And we when he comes, he will tell you all these things that you are telling me.
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In other words, was asking, are you him? Because the things that you have said to me, the things you have shared with me, never hear before. This is so new. This is so great.
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Are you the Messiah?
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And I like the NLT version because he say, I am he. Let me tell you something. They worship in the mountain.
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Why they worship in the mountain? Because of Moses.
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And the first encounter Moses have with God,
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God came and there was that burning bush. You know the whole story. You see home that movie how many times. Right?
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You see the burning bush and the voice of God from the burning bush said take your sandals because the place where he's stepping in it's a holy ground and and God start to have an encounter with Moses You know? And and and and all of a sudden he say, I want you to go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh let my people go.
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And then God say, hey, who am I to go? And and when they ask me, who do I say that you are? And he said I am that I am so that moment that woman have a revelation that the same I am that was spoken to Moses is now waiting for her to speak to her to impart life to her to live at that living water so she can become a great worshiper and that's what God wants you to have an encounter God's desires that you will have an encounter with him today because tomorrow and maybe today is our opportunity come and that moment she received the gift of salvation.
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There is seven lessons that I learned from this. The first one it doesn't matter who you are or what you have done God loves you and He wants you to be safe.
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He doesn't care about your past just like that woman.
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He cares about your future and if you open your heart like that woman did He will come to your heart and you will bring spring of living water and you know what the living water when you come to Christ the Holy Spirit of God He come and they live in and inside of you and that's the living water he's offering you he's offering you to quench the thirst of your soul to change your life and to turn your life upside down the second thing I learned it doesn't matter your past today he can declare a new future for your life if you accept him the third lesson I learned it doesn't matter what your inner state is how much people have hurt you how much family people have hurt you? How much you know you have been through in your life? He have the healing for your soul.
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And today you can accept that healing.
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Therefore is that no matter your wounds that you carry, His healing power is here to touch you today.
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Fifth thing, everyone have a story and God wants to be part of your story.
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That woman, she have a bad story as I told you, but she have an encounter with Jesus.
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Don't waste your encounter.
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You know, because you know her story changed drastically after that day.
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Number six, God loves us and accept us even when when everybody else will reject us.
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Number seven, Jesus is a history divider.
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You know, I talked to you in the beginning about seven hundred and twenty years before Christ.
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And if you like history like me, you get to see that there is before Christ and after Christ. So Jesus was even for history, he was the history divider. And he's still doing that today.
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You know, before Christ, you don't wanna know what I did before Christ.
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You know, you don't want to know. You don't have the time to know. But it doesn't matter because I live after Christ. And if God did that for me, how much more he can do it for you?
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He's the history divider then, and he's the history divider now.
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Our
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eyes are closed right now. Bow. Heads are bow.
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And that's the Jesus we serve.
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A Jesus that go out of his way.
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A man on purpose.
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He have a purpose for you like he did have a purpose for that woman.
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He wanna he came out of his way just to meet her where she was. And today he's here to meet you where you are.
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And he wanna come to your life and and make a a a a, you know, living more than in the inside of you. He wanna change your life. He wanna take your pain, and he wanna make you new.
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Thanks again for listening to today's podcast. We trust that it has touched your heart and blessed your life. Listen to support the ministry. You can go to our website, abundantlife.tv.
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And remember, we are better together.